Lever assemblage



July 3, 1962 N. F. ATHERTON LEVER ASSEMBLAGE Filed Feb. 19, 1960 3 Ne 49h M t w A. a E u U M M a /i g;

I I I United States Patent Ofiice 3,641,885 Patented July 3, 19623,041,586 LEVER ASSEMBLAGE Neil F. Atherton, Bayside, Vis., assignor toApplied Power Industries, Inc, a corporation of Wisconsin Fiied Feb. 19,1960, Ser. No. 9,319 2 Claims. (1. 74-102) This invention relatesgenerally to improvements in lever assemblages, and it relates morespecifically to improvements in the construction of levers of the typewherein the load is movable along a normally fixed axis but the fulcrumis swingable relative to such fixed axis.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide an improvedlever assemblage which is simple but durable in construction, and whichis especially advantageously applicable to levers of the type whereinthe load actuating or work performing element is normally movable alonga fixed axis while the lever fulcrum is movable laterally of said axis.

An important but more specific object of this invention is to provide alever assemblage wherein the lever fulcrum and the load actuatingelement are both pivotally confined and effectively maintained withinsockets formed in the lever by means of a common assembly sleeve.

Another important object of the invention is to provide an improvedstructure for imparting oscillatory movement of a lever to a loadcarrying element which is normally confined to movement along a fixedaxis, without subjecting the loaded element to undesirable lateralpressure.

Still another important object of the present invention is to provide animproved lever fulcrum link which is swingable to permit slightlongitudinal displacement and lateral oscillation of a lever whichcoacts with a load confined to rectilinear reciprocation.

An additional important object of this invention is to provide animproved lever assemblage which is flexible in its adaptations, andwhich comprises few sturdy parts adapted to be readily constructed andassembled.

These and other more specific objects and advantages of the inventionwill be apparent from the following detailed description.

A clear conception of the features constituting the present improvement,and of the construction and functioning of a lever assemblage embodyingthe invention, may be had by referring to the drawing accompanying andforming a part of this application wherein like reference charactersdesignate the same or similar parts in the various views.

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of one of the improved lever assemblagesshowing the same applied to a pump adapted to actuate a hydraulic jack,a portion of the lever handle and of the jack having been broken away;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the assemblage shown in FIG. 1, takenalong the irregular line 2-2;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary part sectional side elevation of the same leverassemblage, with a central longitudinal vertical section taken throughthe fulcrum and load en gaging end of the lever and through the improvedassembly sleeve; and

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the assembly sleeve alone.

While the invention has been shown and described herein as having beenembodied in a lever assemblage of the second class and which isadvantageously applicable to a hydraulic jack as illustrated, it is notintended to confine the improvement to a lever of the second class or tousage in such a jack; and it is also contemplated that specificdescriptive terms employed herein be given the broadest possibleinterpretation consistent'with the disclosure.

Referring to the drawing, the hydraulic jack and actuating leverassembly shown therein, comprises ingeneral a base 6 having a ramcylinder 7 and a pump cylinder 8 and a socket fitting 9 mounted thereon;a piston having a rod 19 reciprocable along a normally fixed axis withinthe cylinder 8 to actuate a load lifting plunger 11 re ciprocable withinthe ram cylinder 7; a fulcrum link 12 having its lower end pivotallyassociated with the socket fitting 9; a lever 13 having therein a pairof spaced sockets 14, 15 pivotally associated respectively with theupper ends of the piston rod 10 and fulcrum link 12; and an assemblysleeve 16 coacting with the lever 13 to hold the upper rod and link endswithin the sockets 14, 15.

The base 6 is provided with an internal reservoir containing liquid suchas oil from which the pump piston actuated by the rod 10 is adapted todeliver liquid under pressure into the ram cylinder 7 to lift a loadcoacting with the plunger 11 and the pump cylinder 8 is provided with acontrol member 18 which is swingable about the pump axis to eitherconnect the pump and ram displacement chambers in order to effect suchload lifting, or to place the ram displacement chamber in opencommunication with the liquid supply reservoir so as to lower the load.This hydraulic jack mechanism including the passageways, porting andvalving, is shown and described in my copending application Serial No.676,220, now Patent No. 2,935,851, and constitutes no part of thepresent invention. It is important, however, that the work performingrod 19 be movable along a fixed axis and that the fulcrum link 12 beswingable toward and away from this axis whenever the lever 13 isoscillated to actuate the pump in order to protect the pump pistonpacking against lateral pressure and resultant excessive wear, and thepresent invention is concerned with improved linkage for actuating thepump plunger or a similar work performing element.

The rod 10 may therefore be any type of work performing element which isnecessarily confined to movement along a fixed axis, and the upper endof this rod 10 is provided with a pivot ball 22 adapted to be rathersnugly confined within the lever socket 14 and which is firmly unitedwith the rod body by a reduced neck 23. The upper end of the fulcrumlink 12 is likewise provided with a ivot ball 24 adapted to be rathersnugly confined within the other lever socket 15 and which is firmlyunited with the body of the link by a similar neck 25. The lower end ofthe fulcrum link 12 is also provided with a pivot ball 26 adapted to belikewise confined within a socket 27 in the fitting 9, and which isfirmly united with the link body by a reduced neck 28. While the balls22, 24, 26 have been shown as substantially complete spheres, this isnot essential since the sockets 14, 15 may be formed by drilling with atapered drill point and it is only desirable to provide spherical zonesurfaces at the rod and link ends of sulficient area so they will engagethese sockets along annular contact lines, as illustrated in FIG. 3.

The pump actuating lever 13 has a manipulating handle at its swingingend, and has circular transverse crosssection adjacent to the sockets14, 15 formed therein. The sheet metal assembly sleeve 16 is adapted tosnugly engage the socketed end portion of the lever 13, and is providedwith one slot 30 which is open toward the adjacent sleeve end and has awidth slightly greater than that of the rod neck 23 but less than thediameter of the ball 22, and is also provided with a keyhole slot 31having closed ends but one end portion of which is of the same width asthat of the slot 30 while its opposite end portion 32 is enlarged topermit the ball 24 to pass therethrough, see FIG. 4. The socket fitting9 which may be firmly attached to the base 6 as by welding and may alsobe formed of sheet metal, has a cut-out 33 therein of sufiicient size topermit the lower ball 26 of the fulcrum link 12 to be insertedtherethrough into the 3 socket 27, thus completing the construction ofthe various parts of the device.

With the parts formed as above described, and assuming the ram and pumpcylinders 7, 8 and the socket fitting 9 to be properly secured to thebase 6, the pump actuating lever mechanism may be assembled as follows:The sleeve 16 should be slipped over the fulcrum end of the lever 13until the enlarged portion 32 of the keyhole slot 31 is in verticalalinement with the lever socket 15 whereupon the opposite end of thissleeve will leave the rod socket 14 downwardly open and unobstructed.With the fulcrum link 12 positioned as shown in dot-and-dash lines inFIG. 1, the lower ball 26 thereof may be freely inserted within thesocket 27 of the fitting 9, whereupon this link may be swung intoupright position substantially parallel to the fixed axis of the rod 10.The lever 13 with the sleeve 16 initially positioned as above described,may then be lowered to cause the fulcrum ball 24 to enter the socket 15and to simultaneously cause the rod ball 22 to enter the socket 14,whereupon the sleeve 16 may be pushed inwardly along the fulcrum end ofthe lever 13 until the extreme adjacent ends of the sleeve and leversubstantially coincide. The sleeve 16 thus positioned may then bespot-welded or otherwise permanently attached to the lever 13 topositively but pivotally retain the balls 22, 24, 26 in their respectivesockets 14, 15, 27, and to thereby maintain the link 12 in assembledcondition.

After the various parts have been thus assembled, the lever 13 may beoscillated in the common plane of its axis and that of the rod 10 aboutthe ball 22 as a pivot, and the fulcrum end of the lever 13 will reactagainst the ball 24 of the fulcrum link 12 while this link may rock backand forth about the lower ball 26 so as to relieve the pump rod 10-oflateral pressure. Although the lever 13 would normally be oscillatedonly in the common plane containing the lever axis, the rod axis, andthe fulcrum link axis, it might be desirable when applying the leverassemblage to other uses, to also swing the lever laterally of thiscommon plane which the improved assemblage permits, but the primaryobject of the present invention is to relieve the rod 10 of lateralpressure.

From the foregoing detailed description of the construction, mode ofassembling, and operation of the device, it should be apparent that theinvention in fact pro vides an improved lever assemblage which is simpleand durable in structure and wherein the parts are positively maintainedin effective assembled operating condition. The narrow portion of theslots 30, 31 in the sleeve 16 cooperate with the necks 23, 25 of the rod10 and link 12 respectively to hold the balls 22, 24 confined withintheir sockets 14, 15, while the narrowed upper part of the fitting 9cooperates with the lower neck 28 of the fulcrum link 12 and with thenarrow slot portion 31 and link neck 25 to maintain the link 12 inapproximately upright assembled condition. The various parts of theassemblage may be readily constructed at moderate cost, and theinvention has proven highly satisfactory and successful especially asapplied to hydraulic jacks.

Obviously, the improvements may also be utilized in a lever assemblageof the first class with equal effect as when the jack is reversed to anupside-down position for use in a press and it is desired to maintainthe handle actuating effort in the same direction. In such instances,the lever actuating mechanism is assembled by first reversing the lever13 and positioning the sleeve 16 with e e l-1,886

the enlarged portion 32 of slot 31 in alinernent with the socket 14 thusleaving the socket 15 open. The ball 22 is then placed in the socket 15and the ball 24 in the socket 14, and the balls 22, 24 will then becaptured and retained in place within the respective sockets uponmovement of the sleeve axially of the lever rod or handle 13 until theextreme ends of the sleeve and lever coincide with the sleeve beingsecured in place in a suitable manner.

Various modes of carrying .out the invention are contemplated as beingwithin the scope of the following claims particularly pointing out anddistinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as theinvention:

I claim:

1. A lever assemblage for use with a pump of the reciprocating pistontype comprising, a lever having a manipulating handle and a fulcrumsocket remote from the handle and also having a second socket locatedbetween the handle and the fulcrum socket, a load actuating rod having aspherical end pivotally cooperable with said second socket and beingreciprocable by said lever to actuate the pump piston along a fixedaxis, a link having a spherical end pivotally cooperable with saidfulcrum socket and being universally swingable relative to said fixedaxis, and a sleeve slidably embracing said lever and having therein anopen ended slot coacting with said rod and a keyhole slot coacting withsaid link to maintain said spherical ends pivotally confined within saidsockets when the sleeve is shifted along the lever.

2. A lever assemblage for use with a pump of the reciprocating pistontype comprising, a lever having a manipulating handle and a pair ofspaced sockets remote from the handle, a load actuating rod having aspherical end pivotally cooperable with one of said sockets and beingreciprocable by said lever to actuate the pump piston along a fixedaxis, a link having one spherical end pivotally cooperable with theother of said sockets and also having a spherical opposite end, afitting detachably cooperable with said opposite spherical link end topermit universal swinging of the link, and a sleeve slidably embracingsaid lever and having therein an open ended slot coacting with said rodand a keyhole slot coacting with said link to maintain said sphericalends pivotally confined within said sockets and to retain said linksecured to said fitting when said sleeve is shifted along said lever.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS229,614 Johnston July 6, 1880 1,220,595 Blackburn M31. 27, 19171,482,256 Prall Jan. 29, 1924 1,763,404 McBride June 10, 1930 2,082,668Vanderveld June 1, 1937 2,155,513 Tampier Apr. 25, 1939 2,346,332Rosenthal Apr. 11, 1944 2,365,520 Bogue Dec. 19, 1944 2,373,745 ConwayApr. 17, 1945 2,556,839 Cretella June 12, 1951 2,605,008 Schroeder July29, 1952 2,824,461 Hoeltje et a1 Feb. 25, 1958 2,935,851 Atherton May10, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 888,057 France Aug. 30, 1943 1,061,572 GermanyJuly 16, 1959

